Initial Impressions

Banner: Taken on 6/21 from the train we took from Amsterdam to Delft. 

Left: Taken on 6/21, a selfie in front of the Peace Palace in the Hague.

Thirty hours of unbroken consciousness was certainly an experience! 

Sleep-deprivation aside, arriving to the Netherlands was incredible. I don't think I could quite believe I was even here the whole time, despite how insanely different everything is here. Even though we got a little caught up at the passport exit in the airport, the line still felt remarkably smoother than anything like the TSA. Then the train ride to Delft right after, giving us a beautiful view of the country side. The word that came to my mind the most to describe it all was "constructed." Both positive and negative. Positive in the sense that between the rail networks, house placements, community gardens, and really, everything, it all felt like it had intent and thought placed into it. The country feels like it was designed with people in mind, and from a transportation perspective, that's just amazing to see. But I also found myself feeling a little strangely sad, in that none of it felt natural, in the same way forests off the side of highways feel "natural" to look at. It's an interested feeling and one I'm not sure I entirely understand yet. 

As for our activities, I think the multiple bike rides, and particularly the one to Scheveningen, were tremendously helpful in keeping me awake enough to get through the jet lag adjustment period. The bicycle infrastructure is frankly unbelievable here, as is the fact that we biked around 25 miles the same day we took a 10 hour flight. But I think it all worked out quite well. Dinner was great (I had a *milano* Dutch pancake), only had to awkwardly not-quite-a-crash once on my bike, and by the time we got free in the evening, I was ready to collapse into sleep. 

Good times to come!